– April 20th, 2023 –
Pennsylvania progressive death metal band Rivers of Nihil had quite a year in 2022. After the release of their fourth album ‘The Work‘ towards the end of 2021, the group spent the majority of their time burning the candle at both ends with a frenzied tour schedule including headline runs of the U.S. and Europe and in support of The Contortionist, but once the latter tour wrapped up, they were short a band member.
For personal reasons, founding member and lead vocalist Jake Dieffenbach and the band went their separate ways. The split took place just three days after the recording of a live video and audio session for Audiotree‘s new ‘From Nothing‘ series. And while initially the band wasn’t sure how to approach the release with the departure of a founding member and lead singer – or whether to release it at all – they decided to move forward with it to honor Dieffenbach’s contributions to the group over the years and mark the beginning of a new chapter.
So, for Audiotree‘s second installment of ‘From Nothing,’ presented to you is the end of an era and the beginning of something new for Rivers of Nihil. The session features live performances and interviews diving into the band’s creative process and recent work. Check it out now HERE! See below for a message from the band.
Guitarist Brody Uttley comments; “We’ve been big fans of the Audiotree catalog for many years now, so when Austin from Audiotree asked us if we’d be interested in being part of a new series they were doing we said ‘yes’ immediately.
Additionally, you will notice that Jake is performing with us. This shoot took place just a few days before our split with him as our vocalist, so rather than burying this project (since we are now no longer working together), we decided to release it as a finale to the chapter of the band that he spent with us.
The time when this was filmed was one of the most strenuous in our band, both from a personal standpoint and simply because we were playing SO many shows at that time nonstop. The morning that we filmed the Audiotree piece we had driven through the night from the previous gig to arrive in Chicago early enough to film with Audiotree in the morning AND still make it to our show later that day with The Contortionist.
This is the most accurate picture of our band working ourselves to the bone. A lot of what is said in the documentary still applies to where things are going, but this video definitely captures the essence of where the band was at, in late September of 2022.
Finally, we just wrapped up a recording session that birthed a ton a new music that you will be hearing much sooner than you think, featuring our previous bassist/backup vocalist Adam Biggs as the new lead vocalist (and bassist) as well as Andy Thomas’ first appearance on record with us as a member of Rivers of Nihil. We will be continuing as a four piece and we simply cannot wait to show you what this sounds like.“
Catch Rivers of Nihil live this summer when they hit the road with Between the Buried and Me and Thank You Scientist. Tour kicks off on June 16th in Charleston, SC at Music Farm and wraps up on July 31 in Winston-Salem, NC at The Ramkat. Tour dates below.
“We’re super honored and excited to be a part of the upcoming Parallax II 10th anniversary tour! BTBAM are one of my all-time favorite bands so you know the Rivers boys and I will be bringing our A-game and a setlist full of our best material (maybe even some new stuff!). We’re also stoked to share the stage with the uber-talented Thank You Scientist, so I think it’s safe to say this will easily be one of the best prog-metal shows of the year, so don’t miss out!” Adam Biggs (vocals/bass)
RIVERS OF NIHIL w/ Between the Buried and Me and Thank You Scientist
16-Jun – Charleston, SC – Music Farm – tickets
17-Jun – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage – tickets
18-Jun – Philadelphia, PA – Brooklyn Bowl Philadelphia – tickets
20-Jun – New York, NY – Irving Plaza – tickets
21-Jun – Albany, NY – Empire Live – tickets
22-Jun – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only
23-Jun – Worcester, MA – The Palladium – tickets
24-Jun – Montreal, QC – Club Soda – tickets
25-Jun – Toronto, ON – Danforth Music Hall – tickets
27-Jun – Millvale, PA – Mr Smalls Theatre – tickets
28-Jun – Detroit, MI – The Majestic – tickets
29-Jun – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall – tickets
30-Jun – Chicago, IL – House of Blues – tickets
01-Jul – Minneapolis, MN – The Lyric at Skyway Theatre – tickets
02-Jul – Kansas City, MO – The Truman – tickets
03-Jul – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre – tickets
05-Jul – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex – tickets
06-Jul – Billings, MT – Pub Station (Taproom) – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only
07-Jul – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall – tickets
08-Jul – Edmonton, AB – Union Hall – tickets
10-Jul – Vancouver, BC – The Vogue Theatre – tickets
11-Jul – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile – tickets
12-Jul – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater – tickets
13-Jul – Sacramento, CA – Ace Of Spades – tickets
14-Jul – Bakersfield, CA – 1933 – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only
15-Jul – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues – tickets
16-Jul – San Diego, CA – The Observatory – North Park – tickets
17-Jul – Mesa, AZ – The Nile Theatre – tickets
19-Jul – Odessa, TX – The Ector Theatre – tickets *Rivers of Nihil only
20-Jul – San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center – tickets
21-Jul – Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum – tickets
22-Jul – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live – tickets
23-Jul – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues – tickets
25-Jul – St. Louis, MO – Red Flag – tickets
26-Jul – Nashville, TN – Brooklyn Bowl Nashville – tickets
28-Jul – St Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live – tickets
29-Jul – Orlando, FL – The Beacham – tickets
30-Jul – Atlanta, GA – Heaven at The Masquerade – tickets
31-Jul – Winston-Salem, NC – The Ramkat – tickets
Audiotree is a Chicago-based music discovery platform producing high quality studio sessions and live performance recordings from artists all around the world. Discover your next favorite band at: audiotree.tv
Rivers of Nihil is:
Brody Uttley – guitars/keyboards
Adam Biggs – vocals/bass
Jared Klein – drums/vocals
Andy Thomas – rhythm guitar/vocals
Preview and purchase Rivers of Nihil‘s latest full release, The Work, at: metalblade.com/riversofnihil
“The Work is nothing less than a work of art. It’s by far the group’s most cohesive, ambitious, meditative, and varied effort, with greater uses of philosophical significance and transcendental respites.” – Metal Injection
“The Work flows beautifully… [it’s] the sound of a band in thrall to their own inspirational ideas, and with a refined grasp of the dynamics required to truly take listeners on, dare we say it, a journey.” – Blabbermouth
“With The Work, RIVERS OF NIHIL have crafted an album that is both indisputably them but also hits very differently to its predecessor, without sacrificing any quality or creativity… It’s a monument to their refusal to be pigeonholed… as well as to their relentless desire to push the envelope creatively, with the end result an album that is incredibly rewarding” – Distorted Sound
Find Rivers of Nihil at:
https://www.facebook.com/riversofnihil
https://twitter.com/riversofnihil
https://www.youtube.com/Riversofnihilpa